Hasta La Ideas

Images, courtesy of Robynn Butler, are from a co-design initiative with Savannah High School students and SCAD Sustainable Design students, piloting frog’s Community Action Toolkit. For more information on the initiative, visit designethos.org

This is the third article in a series examining the potential of resilient design to improve the way the world works. Join designers, brand strategists, architects, futurists, experts and entrepreneurs at Compostmodern13 to delve more deeply into strategies of sustainablity and design.

I recently picked up The Best Dictionary for Students, an elementary school reference that my twin daughters use daily. It seemed perfectly suited to me because, who, after all, isn’t a student. This small dictionary has 410 entries that begin with the letter combination ‘co,’ beginning with coach and ending with cozy. Co-design is not one of those words. But many of the words beginning with these letters are germane to the vibrant conversation around co-design: commitment, compassion, complex, congregate, consequential, to name a few. This is to be expected, considering the Latin origins of the prefix: together. With a multitude of English language concepts fundamentally connected through this prefix, it seems fitting to more deeply explore some of the affiliations inferred by their shared linguistic origin.

Today’s designers have benefitted from the development of young fields of practice such as design for inclusivity, and human-centered design. These efforts focus on delivering solutions through immersive (for the designer) and inclusive (for the community) processes, which the designers then sensitively transform into ‘solutions,’ whether they be products, services, experiences, or tools (visioning, strategic, etc.). Other fields of practice—emerging more from the urban design context, and with an emphasis on community resilience—focus more on designing the potentials for solutions to emerge from the local context itself. As one example, Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) eschews the all too common ‘needs-based’ approach for the sake of identifying, celebrating and empowering assets that already exist within the community.

The gap between these two approaches has been narrowing, and the emerging bridge is being constructed through an array of creative experimentation. Growing trends in mass customization such as Open Source Ecology, and design-driven community resources such as frog’s Community Action Toolkit are examples of this materializing connective tissue. This essay is an invitation to more deeply consider the ideas that have been percolating in some of these spaces. I discuss two words from this ‘co’ bounty that are associated with the practice of co-design, then introduce a third word—quite literally—which explores a paradox borne of two contradictory root words. Together, the words act as a framing device that can aid in the exploration of the concepts behind this evolving process we call co-design, specifically in the social sector. The three ‘co’ words do not constitute strategies as much as reflections on the nature of committing to this dynamic arena. I invite more terms to be added to create (co-create) a Designer’s Dictionary of ‘Co.’ Those compelled to consider the origins of co-design can find many sources dedicated to more rigorous investigations, such as Sanders and Stappers’ Co-Creation and the New Landscapes of Design, as one of example of many.

Design as Conduit

A conduit is an entity of transition between spaces, states or usages. Accordingly, if the energy on one end of a conduit lacks sufficient order or density, or if there is an inability on the other end to ‘carry the charge’, then this kind of channel is little more than the means by which energy is transferred from one unproductive space to another, or worse, from a productive space to an unproductive one. Co-design is a conduit. And the energy that co-design aims to transfer exists within the wisdom, passion, creativity, and tacit knowledge of the parties involved.

Yet, there is another dimension here that relates to the nature of connectivity with individuals not in immediate contact with the initial co-design process. The people in these concentric and loosely defined rings represent not only those who may be influenced or changed in some way, but those who would influence still others further from the original process. This focus on connectivity and continuity is an important facet of co-design, and not merely as a cautionary reference to the law of unintended consequences—as important as that is—but as a reminder that ideas which emerge from co-design must be so deeply embedded in the community that members of that community who were not directly involved in the co-design process gravitate toward them intuitively. With IDEO’s “>Human-Centered Design approach in mind, the arc of progression for the design process might run through stages that focus on: observations, stories, themes, opportunities, solutions, prototypes and implementation plans. Yet, the means by which designers build capacity within the community to design solutions themselves requires that this process is fully owned—and operated—by the community before the end of this sequence.

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Seoul, like so many other great cities of East Asia, bustles and buzzes with life, a modern and dynamic metropolis. At night neon signs and giant digital displays battle for attention, advertise everything from the ubiquitous internet cafes (per capital South Korea is the most ‘online’ nation in the world) to the all night eateries, saunas and singing rooms. Like Japan and China, Korea and the Koreans are a nation of early adopters. Technology exists to be embraced. The latest digital products, software, systems and means of communication are all readily accepted by a culture which now not only adopts technological innovation but is a world player at its leading edge.

It is against this background that I exit the subway system at Seoul’s hip, creative district of Jamwondong before ducking off a busy main highway south of Seoul’s Han river. I’ve travelled on a bullet train from Ulsan’s National Institute of Science and technology (UNIST), having recently made the move from the leafy suburbs of South London to start a new life at UNIST’s School of Design and Human Engineering.

My final destination is Seoul’s young, ambitious and rapidly expanding design consultancy SWBK. Founded in 2008, the firm offers an extensive range of design services from IT-based product design to brand consultancy, service design and their Matter & Matter range of fine furniture. SWBK’s global design awards speak for themselves (Red Dot, IF, IDEA, GOOD Design…). They have an ambitious, skilled and highly motivated team, whose knowledge and expertise are sought by a growing list of national and international clients.

Their work also extends to the direction of design and cultural exhibitions. One such expo recently organized by SWBK, is the Sulwha Cultural Exhibition in Seoul. It showcases the work of some of Korea’s most celebrated craftsmen, artists and designers; from master Bang Chun Woong’s display of Korean Ethnic Earthenware (onggi) to Media Artist Yang Min Ha’s virtual, interactive installation reinterpreting the process of making onggi through manipulation of digital content via physical, embodied interaction.

In a way SWBK’s Sulwha Exhibition is an apt reflection of Korean society more generally. Traditions of the past live cheek by jowl with a modern tech-savvy culture, creating a hybrid mix of embedded traditions within an emergent, dynamic digital culture.
I pick my way towards the SWBK studios and am greeted at the door by co-founder, Sukwoo Lee. Having worked as an industrial designer for Samsung and then at Teague in the United States, Sukwoo returned to his native Korea in 2008 to co-found his consultancy with fellow designer Bongkyu Song.

I’ve come on a mission: to find out if, within this tech-driven culture, design firms have decided it’s time to finally kiss goodbye to dated, low-tech analogue design tools like hand sketching and model making in favour of a fully digital industrial design process.

We sit down to talk and Sukwoo starts by pulling out one of his sketchbooks…

He then produces a tiny handcrafted scale model of his latest chair design and sets it to rest on a page of thumbnail or thinking sketches of the same design.

“I quite like this kind of sketch’ Sukwoo explains as we leaf though his work, ‘I feel like I’m freer with this kind of quickly made sketch on paper…just hand drawing. From these sketches we often move to these sketch models,” he explains.

At this point Sukwoo scuttles off across the studio to return armed with a large plank of balsa wood. “When I touch this wood,” he continues, “and I even smell this, it feels much freer than digital work.” Sukwoo speaks of an emergent design language that is explored and considered through the use of sketches and scale models. Like the master craftsmen of his Sulwha Cultural Exhibition, there is something honest in the way he describes his expression of form through hand sketching and hand making. From the start, the impression is that these analog processes are integral to SWBK’s working culture and design process; to their ability to explore and develop design intentions?

We move on.

“After this,” Sukwoo explains, indicating a wall filled with sketches, illustrations and 3D digital models “we start to sketch a little more of the aspects of the form.”

At this point Sukwoo describes how CAD tools (Illustrator and Rhino) are employed to test the potential of the concept. “The CAD model is quite rough” he explains, “but gives the team a better idea of proportion and curvature.”

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I’ve talked to a lot of designers over my career. Many of them knew exactly what they wanted to do from a young age. They had some kind of mechanical inclination and an innate desire to take things apart and to create. They have the ability to focus and noodle over an idea in the methodical, inexhaustible manner of a diesel engine. In the world of the tortoise and the hare, they’re the tortoise. This article isn’t about them.

There is a whole other group of designers that run the race in a much different manner. If I keep with the engine analogy, they’re more the Ferrari’s of the world. They run fast and hot, hugging the corners with a jaw-dropping ability to win the race with awesome speed. Ideas for these designers come fast and furious. As capable as they are of the exhilarating win, they can hit the wall and explode into a gazillion little pieces. This story is about these Ferrari-like designers. They are designers that live with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder—ADHD or ADD for short.

Part of the Human Condition

My research, since my diagnosis a year ago, has led me to believe that ADHD is on the continuum of the human condition. A belief which is supported by the fact that every time I describe typical symptoms of ADHD to someone, they claim that they show signs of the same problems. I mean, seriously, who doesn’t forget their lunch on the counter or misplace their keys every now and then? I am sure you can’t point a finger at a single person and have them deny that they’ve gotten so engrossed in a task that the world melted away and time warped. We all have scatter-brained moments complimented by intense focus. So, what is it that separates somebody with ADHD with their bouts of forgetfulness and ability to focus from the herd?

In short, it is frequency and impact.

Frequency is an easy one to explain. The frequency in which things like car keys teleporting from the place they were last seen to the top of the 7 foot-tall bookshelf (true story) is far more common for someone with ADHD than someone without ADHD.
The tougher part to explain is impact. The psychological impact of losing one’s keys shouldn’t be a big deal. It should fall under the category of “shit happens” and thrown into the mind’s circular file shortly after you finally do find said keys. It isn’t uncommon for a person with ADHD to believe they’re stupid due to their ongoing struggle with convergent thinking (aka taking tests). When you go your whole life where weekly, if not daily, you’re going through these exercises in frustration, the impact on your psyche is cumulative. This is the hardest part to express. It is an emotional reaction that borders on visceral. It affects the rest of your day and rather than recovering, it feels as though it snowballs and makes things worse as the day goes on.

The Good, the Bad and the ADHD

For many, their experience with ADHD is that most all of the “bad” parts of the disorder can be managed through awareness, discipline or even drugs. It seems like everywhere you turn, someone is talking about the problems of ADHD but not the benefits. The part that I want to ensure is understood is that there are many facets of ADHD that can be weapons for a designer’s success. Some might even argue that a designer with ADD has an advantage over those who don’t. Again, research shows that a brain that is wired by ADHD is also tuned for creativity. Matthew Kutz, a 13-year-old student with ADD, explains it very succinctly:

“Being ADD means you see things other people miss. When you see a peach you see a piece of fruit. I see the color, the texture and the field where it grew.”

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A few weeks ago, an intriguing New York Times blog post started making the rounds on my Twitter feed, and it’s still popping up today. I can see why. Dubbed “The Busy Trap,” Tim Kreider’s article makes a simple claim:

Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration—it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.

It was eye-opening for me that my social circle consists mostly of Type A personalities, as I could feel a collective sigh from the artists, designers and writers in my feed who recognized themselves all too well in this story. In an economy like ours, and as designers throw themselves wholeheartedly into using their skills to address social issues, it can be hard to contemplate idleness. But as the article makes clear, taking time out is often the best thing you can do for your creativity.

Another recent article in NPR said as much, drawing on the famous example of Archimedes in the bathtub:

As the ancient Greek engineer Vetruvius told us, Archimedes was lounging in a public bath when he noticed the water level go up and down as people got in and out. He suddenly realized that water could help him calculate the density of gold. “This alteration [of thoughts] may be very useful for churning the creative process,” says Jonathan Schooler, a psychology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Easier said than done, of course, in a world that seems caught up and defined by deadlines, bills and the the relentless pace of social media and globalized communications. But almost every great designer I’ve met has preached to me the value of taking some time out and just… being. It’s good for the mind, but it also means better ideas. And it seems that the more you can carve out for idle time, the more that will reap rewards in creativity.

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Fusionbrands has been changing the way we cook and prepare food since their first product launched to the marketplace in 2005. You might be familiar with thefoodloop, the first silicone tool to replace string for trussing, or their foodpod, a silicone “basket” that’s designed to conveniently contain and drain foods prepared by boiling, blanching or steaming.

In 2007, Fusionbrands released the poachpod, a floating, flexible silicone egg poaching tool. The poachpod was an instant success, garnering accolades like the 2007 Gourmet Gadget of the Year award. Simultaneously, Fusionbrands worked to protect their work; in 2007 poachpod received a registered trademark and in 2008, a design patent.

As the popularity of the Fusionbrands products soared, the copycats emerged. Fusionbrands began to take action to protect its intellectual property and its brand by notifying manufacturers, distributors and retailers of its patents and trademarks and, when necessary, filing law suits. Beginning in 2009, Fusionbrands filed the first of several federal lawsuits against U.S. companies from Massachusetts to California, from manufacturers to retailers, to stop the sale of knock-off products. They’ve won every court battle or settled with the infringers. But the their true victory is the hope that this success would serve as example and clearly demonstrate that Fusionbrands could always be expected to invest in protecting its brand and patents.

In 2010, the poachpod received a highly respected and rare-to-the-industry Method Patent relating to the specific method of poaching eggs allowed by the form and function of this unique product. Achieving this all-encompassing patent allowed for legal action to be taken and lawsuits filed against all forms of infringement. Since 2010, Fusionbrands has won more federal court victories or settlements and has seized or destroyed over 100,000 products that were accused of infringing its patents.

In light of our week-long focus on design patents, we thought we’d sit down with Anna and Kraigh Stewart, the founders and designers behind Fusionbrands to learn more about their piracy battles. As a small, independent design company, their no-nonsense stance against counterfitting and piracy is a win for the entire design industry.

Core77: What motivated you to first start seeking legal protection for your products?

As designers, we have an instinctive need or drive to protect our IP and creations. It’s almost a parent-like response—whether you are a writer, musician or sculptor you have an innate motivating factor to defend your work of art. Obviously we want to protect our designs and innovations from theft. In order to even be able to take legal action there is a ton of preparation that goes into advanced planning. Before we even made product number one, thefoodloop, we were well prepared.

Are all the legal drama and headaches worth it?

It’s a painstakingly slow process but when you succeed it’s entirely worth it. Besides taking lots of time and money it’s extremely distracting from the process of designing, selling products and running a business. In the end, the struggles are rewarding just knowing that our designs cannot ever become generic. Copycats stand on the shoulders of real product developers and it’s invaluable to see the people and the company who use a stolen idea, stopped. The emotional roller coaster ride is tough, but victory sure does feel good.

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